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Lone Wolf
The story of a warrior alone in a world he doesnt understand who makes his way into the very fibre of it's history and become s LEGEND. Introduction Shinobi shook his head as he staggered back. He lifted his energy sword as he saw the hunter preparing for another strike. He had fared better than expected in the battle and this was the last member of the initial strike force. Unfortunately his efforts were not enough and he knew this was his last moment. “Paradox?” he gasped “''Yes sir? What is it?”'' “Eject from this system, I don’t want you to be taken by the Covenant.” “''But Sir I...”'' “That’s an order Paradox now MOVE!” he heard the AI close as it left his helmet uplink. With a final battle cry, he charged at the beast. It shot a round of plasma at him and he dove to the side to avoid it. The hunter decided to try a different method and charged him head on, determined to avenge his fallen brothers. A sigh escaped his lips as he lunged under the hunter’s swing and brought his sword up. The limb holding the shield fell to the ground. Infuriated, the monster kicked the SPARTAN into the wall behind him. Shinobi collapsed onto the floor and looked up into the glowing barrel of the creature’s plasma canon. “Well go on then,” he shouted, “do it!” The hunter let off a sound eerily close to laughter as the weapon neared charge. This was cut off as a lightsaber burst through the midsection of the beast. The corpse fell to the ground and the remaining eels slithered out of the shell. As one slipped out of the head it was crushed under the boot of a hooded figure. The strange person shrugged off his cloak and Shinobi gasped, “Jason!” Jason lifted up the massive figure and helped him over to the console Shinobi shook his head as he sat down, “What are you doing here? I saw you leave with the rest of the brigade.” Jason nodded and smiled before he spoke, “That was a good many years ago friend I decided to come back and rescue you.” “How is that possible?” Shinobi asked as he stood up again. “I’ll explain later first we have to get you to out of here.” Shinobi clicked on his comm. He signaled Paradox again who popped up in his HUD again, “Good to see you back buddy,” Shinobi sighed as he walked over to the forerunner console and inserted the AI chip, “''Good to be back Sir,”'' Shinobi opened up a small screen and set to work on the console, “What are you working on?” Jason inquired as he stood behind him. “I’m sealing off the quarter of the floor so we have time to execute my plan.” Shinobi grunted as he typed rapidly on the keyboard. “And what is that exactly?” Jason said raising an eyebrow. The SPARTAN turned around to face him, “I can’t just leave the UNSC, not in the middle of a war so we came up with an idea. Paradox identified a cloning facility in this area. I’m going to make a copy of myself. He will act in my place. He’ll be different though a separate armor style. I’ve always appreciated the scout variant so…” “Wait a second,” Jason said, “You’re going to make a replacement of yourself as well?” Shinobi stopped typing, “Yes, what do you mean as well?” Jason opened up his backpack and brought out a tube. In it was a small life form. Jason put it back in. “I’ve been assigned with the mission to transport this clone of myself to be trained as a SPARTAN.” Shinobi nodded as realization dawned on him. “You want him to be like me?” Jason smiled “Precisely, but I have been instructed to have him train with the original SPARTANs instead. Shinobi thought for a moment before making his reply, “I would recommend a different solution. Take him to the SPARTAN III training program; you will meet a man named Kurt Ambrose give him these,” Shinobi pulled out a pair of dog tags and placed them in his hands. “That should give you a better chance of joining the SPARTAN program. Also make a stop at these coordinates here,” he said gesturing to the screen, “I would appreciate if you dropped my clone there at the same time period.” “''Sir if I may intercede, that would create a time paradox, erasing you from the history after being stranded on reach.” Shinobi nodded and grinned, “My thoughts exactly. You have a method of time travel I presume Jason?” The Jedi nodded and walked over to the map. “Where will I find your clone?” He asked. “It will be placed in a canister in that room,” the Spartan said pointing at a small chamber to the left of the portal room,” Take it and drop it off on the given coordinates, it will be fully grown by that time and you can complete your end of the mission.” Jason nodded and walked towards the door, “Farewell my friend and best of luck to you,” Jason said saluting Shinobi as he entered in the final calculations. “As to you,” the Spartan said as the portal activated. He closed his eyes and stepped through. He opened them to find himself surrounded by strange men pointing their blasters at him, “Well, well, well,” said Hondo Ohnaka, “What do we have here?” Episode 1: Pirates Miles’ face hardened as he stared down the barrel of this alien’s blaster. The one who spoke earlier moved to the front. He was human in shape and appearance but with hardened almost scaly skin. Shinobi assumed he was the leader because of the clothing he wore as well as the turtle shell helmet he had. “So,” he said, “Would you mind explaining to me how and why you stumbled onto my planet?” Shinobi looked around. This definitely wasn’t the icy frozen wasteland the Hyena brigade had described. “A mere fault in technology,” Miles replied looking around. The leader almost smiled, “A fault in technology eh? This must be very expensive technology for one such as yourself to be able to teleport right onto my doorstep no?” Shinobi sighed to himself, ''a money hog, he thought, well at least I know how to deal with his kind. “It was,” he said coolly, “but I am no longer in possession of it.” The pirate seemed disappointed, “That’s a shame,” he said as his finger strayed towards the trigger “I am in need of a transport,” Shinobi said abruptly causing the pirates to hesitate, “I will pay your for your services as well.” The leader seemed to jump at the thought of pay, “And how exactly do you plan on paying for it? You don’t appear to have anything of value other than your weapons on you.” Shinobi’s hand strayed towards his boltshot, “I am looking to make my fortune as a mercenary. I could do a job or two for you in return for your services.” “Interesting,” the man said, “It turns out I have a job that many of my men find… distasteful.” Shinobi crouched on a rooftop waiting for his target to come into view. In his hands he held a light rifle. He had sat there four hours now waiting for his prey to walk out of the club he had seen it go into earlier. His target was a bounty hunter, a Trandoshan, which was apparently a lizard man, by the name of Skaar. He was causing trouble for the pirates by raiding their spice stores and killing some of them in the bar fights. Shinobi didn’t care why he had to kill him. All he cared about was getting off this planet and if taking out one puny bounty hunter was all he had to do then he wouldn’t hesitate to make the shot. He zoomed in as he saw Skaar leave the bar. He was obviously drunk and stumbled around bumping into those next to him. Shinobi followed him with his gun, keeping the sights trained on his head. He waited for the right moment as the lizard creature shuffled into an alleyway. Shinobi released his breath and pulled the trigger. The creature jolted forward dead. He had disintegrated before he even touched the ground. Miles laughed a little, the beauty of Forerunner weaponry, he thought as he packed up his equipment. He nodded, pleased with his work and went back to claim his reward. The pirate leader looked pleased as he walked over to Shinobi. He put his arm around his shoulder, or at least attempted to, as he walked with him. “Well done my friend,” He said clapping him on the back, “a very excellent job. My sources tell me the body of our late comrade Skaar wasn’t even found.” Shinobi said nothing but nodded and kept walking. Not seeming to be put off, the pirate kept talking, “So you are looking to gain a reputation as a bounty hunter eh? You would want to go to Tatooine then; Jaba the Hutt runs quite a prestigious system for bounty hunters.” “Then that is where I wish to go,” Shinobi said. The Pirate nodded as if he knew this was what Miles would say, “I have already set up a ship for you,” he gestured towards a medium sized craft. It was long and sleek with a nose shaped like the beak of some predatory bird. “I give you, the HWK-290 freighter,” the pirate said, “She’s a fast bird and makes up for what little weapons she has in speed and maneuverability, my gift for your services.” Shinobi shook hands with the pirate, “Hondo Ohnaka,” he said, “a pleasure doing business with you. “Shinobi,” Miles replied. He hefted himself into the pilot seat and inserted Paradox into it. With the help of his AI, he located the coordinates for the planet Tatooine and set off. “''Sir this craft seems to be equipped with a form of a slip space engine with accurate targeting systems,” Paradox chimed. Shinobi activated the device and the craft sped into hyperspace, the stars blurred and disappeared. Episode 2:Welcome to Tatooine Shinobi grimaced as he looked at his surroundings. The planet Tatooine was a desert wasteland with the exception of the occasional settlement and slum. ‘''Oh well’ he thought, ‘''could always be worse.’ He made his way to the nearest saloon. Inside most of the residents were either drinking and conversing at tables or chatting it up with the bar tender. He went over to the counter and sat down. “What’ll it be for you stranger?” the barman asked as he polished an empty glass. “Information,” Miles grunted not facing the alien. “Information eh?” the thing chuckled, “that tends to be expensive around here, how much you got?” Shinobi drew out his boltshot and pressed it against his neck, “Your life should suffice.” Immediately, most of the people in the room had their weapons drawn an aimed at him. The bartender smiled and started to push the barrel of the pistol away. Shinobi lowered his gun and placed a cube like object on the table. “I can give you this,” he said smiling as the man eyed it greedily, “What does it do?” he asked reaching out to it. Shinobi promptly snatched it away, “It’s a high pulse charge. It disables all electronic devices within a half mile radius.” The bartender nodded, “So… what do you want to know?” “Where can I find Jaba the Hutt?” The bartender grinned slightly as he replied, “He lives in the large palace to the east. I’m sure you can hire a speeder to reach it.” “No need,” Shinobi replied, “I’ll walk.” The bartender and many of the others roared with laughter as they heard this, “Suit yourself, the deserts are no place to go strolling in my friend.” “I’ll manage,” Shinobi grunted and turned away. As he walked out a strange figure came up alongside him. “You got played you know,” he said taking off his helmet. He was just a boy but he looked weathered, hardened in way that Miles had seen on the faces of thousands of soldiers. “Everyone knows where Jabba the Hutt lives. He’s the most well-known man on the planet,” he continued, “you shouldn’t have paid him for that information.” Shinobi chuckled as he pressed a button on his suit, “Oh, I didn’t pay him anything.” Suddenly the cube detonated into a small sphere of pure energy. The bartender and two of the nearby people were disintegrated immediately. The boy nodded almost smiling as he looked behind him, “I like your style. The name’s Boba.” He held out his hand. “Call me Shinobi,” Miles replied shaking the hand. He turned and started to walk away. “If you are in need of transportation I could give you a hand,” Boba said following after him. “I don’t need a lift kid, I can manage on my own,” He said as he crouched into a running pose. “Just a few clicks from here right?” Boba nodded and Shinobi pushed off into a run leaving a trail of dust behind him. Boba whistled as he saw him begin to shrink in the distance. Jaba the Hutt was having a bad day. This morning one of his servants had got his food order mixed up and he almost choked on one of the native “delicacies”. He had a small moment of pleasure executing the slave but that faded quickly as the day went on. Whilst he was consuming his lunch, which was thankfully prepared properly, he got news that one of his supply ships had been raided by Pirates and that one of the owners of his best taverns had been murdered by a stranger. As if to rub salt on the wound, he was being told at this moment about how one of his bounty hunters had been killed before he was able to complete a very important mission that was crucial to Jabba’s profits. He was glaring as the messenger walked away when a very strange figure walked in to his palace room. Behind him was his butler who looked very nervous and was wringing his hands fervently. “My apologies mighty Jabba, this man wishes to speak to you about a contract. He has heard of you bounty hunter empire and wishes for a job.” Jabba almost laughed as he spoke to his droid who walked over to the figure. The person was a strange looking one. He wore full body armor so Jabba could not tell who or what he was. The gear was unlike anything he had seen. It was dark and styled almost with a feral appearance but definitely had the effect of fear built into it. The creature was big. Much taller than the others in Jabba’s room and had the look of a soldier about him. ‘''Yes’ ''he thought ''‘I could certainly use a bounty hunter such as this. But first, let us test him.’ “The great Jabba wishes to inform you that his league of bounty hunters is not available for just anyone. To enter, you must prove yourself worthy and complete a task of his choosing, free of charge.” The figure looked at the droid and let out a sound that resembled laughter but in a dark, mocking tone. “'I have no need of your translator great Jabba',” The figure said in perfect Huttese, “'I will however complete your task. Name it and it is done'.” Jabba smiled chuckled in a warm manner, “'Ah, you speak the honorable language of the Hutts, very few share that talent.'” “'That is but one of many my lord'.” Jabba nodded in agreement and gestured to his guards, “'These are some of my best men',” He said pointing at Shinobi and the dragging a finger across his throat, “'Defeat them and you will have earned your place'.” The guards charged at the figure who seemed unfazed by them and just when they were on top of him he vanished. The brutes looked confused and started to look around scratching their heads. Suddenly one of them cried out in pain as a black blade broke out of its chest cavity. It promptly disappeared and the guard fell to the ground. Standing on top of it was the figure holding two black blades in his hands. In a way they resembled light sabers but were almost completely different. The faces of the guards turned from confusion to hate as they rushed the strange figure. This time though he did not disappear and he dove into the group slashing through those who got in his way. The creatures didn’t stand a chance as their swings were blocked and punished by the deadly weapons the man had. The last guard, seeing his dead brothers turned and ran. He didn’t get far as a bolt of orange struck him in the head. The creature fell to the ground and slowly disintegrated into nothing. Jabba the Hutt sat gaping as he watched the remnants of his elite guard carried away by slaves. His mouth slowly curled into a grin as he faced the stranger, “'Well done. You have proven yourself to be satisfactory… perhaps much more than that. You have been accepted and I welcome you to my merry band. What is your name stranger?'” The figure removed his helmet showing a human face covered in burns on the left jaw with a scar down his right eye, “'They call me Shinobi,'” the man replied, “'So what is my first job?'” Episode 3:Bounty Hunter Shinobi clicked the new chip to his suit. It was a bounty hunter device, used to collect missions and provide Intel on them. Luckily it was magnetic and snapped perfectly into place on his wrist gauntlet. “Nice work back there Paradox, you hacked into that translator droid’s system in record time, and you managed to filter my words through my helmet.” “''Just doing my job sir'',” the little AI chimed. Even so he sounded pleased with himself. Shinobi rolled the small chips around in his palm. ‘''So this is the currency used in this dimension'',’ he thought as he placed it in his utility pack. The job he had done was simple for the most part and had paid well. He grinned as he thought back to the mission. He was instructed to capture a child of some sort for a woman named Ventress, who was a member of the warrior class known as Sith. From the description they sounded a lot like the members of Hyena Brigade such as Jason and Joshua. The job was almost too easy, the parents were watching her but they never expected the threat to come from above and they were quickly unconscious before they were aware of what was happening. The child started to cry but offered no opposition and was taken to his new ship and he set off for the cash drop. Upon arrival he was greeted by who he assumed was the woman Ventress. She wasn’t much to look at but Shinobi could tell a deadly warrior when he saw one. He handed over the child and went on his way being a few credits richer than before. As he entered the room he was approached by a strange machine. “''Excuse me Sir. Are you the one known as Shinobi?”'' the machine inquired as it stopped in front of him. “Depends who’s asking,” Miles replied his hand slowly straying to his energy sword. The droid said nothing but instead handed him a small data pad and left. Miles stared at the device but since it remained inactive, he pocketed it an continued on into the room to give Jabba the Hutt his share of the job. Episode 4:The Library Miles was taking inventory. He had decided he needed to take stock of his equipment in case he needed to buy some new gear from whoever offered it. From what he had observed so far, he was in desperate need of grenades and also was running low on power for his energy sword which was at 45% at the time. Other than that, he was still doing well on weapons and ammo. He took out his cleaning cloth when a beep broke his focus. He reached over and pulled out the data pad which was flashing a red light in the bottom corner. When Miles pressed the button, a small holographic image of a man in a hood appeared. “You are Shinobi yes?” the man said with a deep aged voice. “Yes, but I believe you already know that. So the real question is what do you want? ” Shinobi replied. The image let out a small chuckle before continuing. “Very straight to the point eh? I like that. It is true I have a job for you, one of extreme importance that requires stealth and precision.” “Then I’m your man. What are the details?” Miles said “I have sent them to your bounty tracker. You will infiltrate the Jedi temple on the planet Courascant. Deep inside the vaults is a device known as a Jedi Holocron. This device contains information that my order desires. See that you retrieve it and you will be paid handsomely.” Shinobi opened up a holo-model of the temple and examined it, “Consider it done,” he said and turned off the datapad. Shinobi pulled his light rifle and engaged the scope. As the sights swayed over the Jedi temple, he activated the focus and moved around until he located the security. Once found he targeted a single section, propped up a recorder at the same angle and repeated the process until he had eyes on every single security force in the entrance area of the Jedi temple. A thin smile crawled up his left side of his face; Miles had picked his spot well. A small inconspicuous little apartment with very little practicality making it cheap with a perfect view of the Jedi temple gave him all the advantage he needed. With this little setup, he would have total knowledge of the security and changing of the guard at the entrance giving him time to let Paradox into the system. And by then, well by then it would be too late for even the Jedi to locate him. He took one last look at the temple, zoomed and took a screenshot, and then he left to clean his gear. Ashoka felt a disturbance in the force. The feeling was dark and sinister and had woken her immediately from her sleep. She got dressed and left her room and went for a stroll around the temple grounds. She nodded to the night guards as she continued on her way to the gardens. She was examining a small flower when she heard a small groan coming from one of the bushes. She ran over to find a clone trooper sprawled behind the shrubbery still alive from the looks of it but unconscious. Searching the body, she found a small dart object in the back of his neck. This confirmed her fears of an intruder in the temple she ran towards the security tower and burst in to find the two clones on monitor duty still looking at their screens. “General Tano is there a problem?” one of the soldiers asked. “I’m afraid so Riggs, I have reason to believe that an intruder has entered the temple.” “Impossible ma’am, nothing happens here without us noticing.” Ashoka still wasn’t convinced “Pull up the live feed of the Gardens,” she ordered, “that’s where I found a guard unconscious. As the screen came up, the guard was standing at his post looking like nothing happened occasionally scratching himself or moving around. “Slowly scroll back a few minutes,” She said. That’s when I first felt the disturbance. The screens showed the same thing and Ashoka was about to give up when for a split second, the footage phased out. “Rewind and hold on the slide right before that glitch.” The screen was completely normal except for a small black dot right next to the edge of the screen. “Maximize that dot.” When the dot became enlarged it revealed a small dart exactly like the one she found on the guard. “Reboot the system,” she said her voice rising in pitch, “put the whole temple on high alert. We have an armed intruder in the structure.” She dashed out of the room as the alarms started to blare and ran for the Master Jedi quarters. As she rounded the corner her comm started to blink. “General we have rebooted the systems and it looks like the vault in the library has been opened.” Ashoka gasped as she came to a stop. “The holocrons,” she muttered and whirled around and ran towards the library. She found the librarian sprawled on the floor completely knocked out. She continued to the vault and found the intruder holding one of the Holocrons. “Paradox, access all the information and copy it to your files. I have a feeling we can make use of the information here,” the strange figure said as it pocketed the holocron. “Stop right there,” Ashoka said drawing her lightsaber, “that doesn’t belong to you.” The figure whirled around, “Oh really?” he chuckled, “and what’s a little lady like you gonna do about it?” Shinobi stared at the small figure holding a green lightsaber. She appears to be a Jedi but looks very young as well, he thought as he observed the small warrior, perhaps a Jedi in training then? ''He drew his energy sword and started to circle around the Jedi challenging her to a duel. She followed suite and the two began to move in a small circle. Miles waited until he had the door to his back and whipped out his boltshot and fired three rounds at the Jedi. She seemed to deflect them with ease but it gave him enough time to sprint from the room. The alien charged after him running at a speed surprising for her age. He charged for the window and dove through it causing the entire thing to shatter and rain glass down on the civilians below. ''So much for stealth, he though as he angled for the roof of a building adjacent and locked his armor. The impact dented the roof but it held and he broke into a sprint when his armor unlocked. He noticed that he was being pursued on his motion sensor and glanced behind to find the small Jedi chasing after him. “Alright little lady,” He muttered starting to grin, “let’s give you a run for your money hey?” He leapt onto a small advertisement wall and pushed off landing on the roof of a much higher building. Turning back, his jaw dropped as he saw the pursuer clear the building in one hop. Miles locked his jaw and put on an extra burst of speed. As more buildings approached, he leapt from one to the other continually staying ahead of the Jedi. However, the small figure seemed persistent and relentlessly pursued him no matter which route he took. He skidded to a halt as the rooftops ended. Below him was a several mile deep trench swarming with different hover vehicles. “End of the line,” the Jedi shouted drawing her lightsaber again. Shinobi drew his energy sword. As she started to circle him again he lunged as fast as he could an following up with a complex series of strikes and slashes forcing her on the defensive. The two dueled for a good while moving around the large rooftop. She was incredibly skilled for her age but wasn’t used to fighting against a weapon like the energy sword. He however, recognized her fighting style as similar to the katas he learned when training to use his Ninjato before the Covenant wars. He was eventually pushed back towards the trench. Shinobi had finally gotten past her defenses and was going for a kill strike when his energy sword ran out of power. He swore violently and kicked her instead. She skidded for a few seconds as he leapt over the edge. Miles collided with a hover bike, instantly crushing the driver. Throwing the body off, he hopped into the driver seat and took roundabout route towards his hideout. Ashoka was furious. She activated her comm, “Rex!” she said in a winded tone, “the intruder, he has a holocron I couldn’t stop him we need reinforcements. fast!” Shinobi was packing up his things when Paradox came online, “''Miles I did some poking around in the information. It seems we were employed by a Sith Lord''!” Shinobi stopped and looked at the projection of Paradox, “You mean the same people who started the war against the Jedi and are fighting the brigade?” “''Precisely''” “And the same people who tricked me into capturing a child for them,” he muttered darkly. He took out the Holocron and stared at it, “Did you save all the information from this?” “''Yes,”'' the AI replied. Shinobi grunted his acknowledgement and crushed the small cube in his fist. It exploded in a shower of sparks before dying. He tossed the remains out his window and hoisted his pack, “Well back to Tatooine,” he said, “I think I’ll stay neutral to the war in my employment.” Episode 5:Shadows Rising Part 1 It was early morning and he was attempting to find a trace of the intruder. There it is, he thought,'' but it is so unlike anything I…'' His thought trail was interrupted by a Padawan entering his quarters. “Master Yoda!” he panted, “The Jedi council has been called together for a meeting to discuss last night’s events.” Yoda nodded slightly as he stood. “Expected this, I have. To the council, I go.” He retrieved his cane and left the room. As he entered the room, he noticed the Padawan Ashoka sitting in the center of the council. Noticing his confusion, Mace Windu walked over to him, “Padawan Tano is here to describe the strange warrior, as she is the only on with an accurate description of him.” Yoda raised his eyebrow “Him?” “Yes Master,” Ashoka interjected, “He spoke with a masculine voice and I couldn’t detect any trace of a voice altercation.” Yoda grunted in response as he sat on his chair. “Unlike any other being, this man is. Swirls around him, the force does. Find him at all costs, we must.” “Then let the search begin,” Mace said. Miles was sleeping. He had taken a heavy hit landing on the hover bike and decided to sleep it off in his condo in Tatooine. It had been a tough job and the fact that he wasn’t going to get paid made it even more unpleasant. He was woken by somebody ringing the doorbell. He sat up with a start. He quickly placed his mask on before opening the door. Standing in the hallway was a droid, separatist by the looks of it with two battle droids as armed escorts. “''The Master wishes to know if you have the Holocron.”'' Shinobi glanced quickly to his suppressor on the shelf next to the door. “Of course let me grab it. Strangest thing happened when I encountered a…” In that moment he grabbed the weapon and fired into the battle droids. The machines fell quickly to the automatic fire. The main robot drew a small blaster and fired. The aim was terrible and missed Miles completely but instead the small cash of grenades. The explosion ripped apart half the building and sent both man and machine flying out the door way. Miles was up quickly and kicked the weapon from the droid’s hand. He lifted the droid up to eye level, “Tell your boss,” he spat, “that my work will remain neutral to any side of the war.” With that he tore the machines head from its body. Placing it in a small package, he set it in his mail box and went back to his apartment to pack his things. “Well Paradox, looks like we’ll have to find a new place to stay eh?” “''Quite so Miles, this old on seems to be coming apart at the hinges,” the robot replied sarcastically. “''Shinobi, you may want to see this!” Paradox yelled. Miles walked over to the screen his AI was working at as he pulled up an image. “''According to these files, there is a planet where the inhabitants seem to have replicated and implemented a rudimentary form of forerunner technology.”'' The Spartan’s eyes widened as he saw the examples of the technology from a recent battle with the people. “''It seems that they have managed to use technology like hard light controls and early forerunner weapons'', replacing the hard light with plasma similar to the methods used by the Covenant.” Miles nodded as he saw the different images of the battle tech used, “What are the planets conditions?” “''They appear to be survivable although ironically toxic to the native species of humanoid creatures.” “Strange. Do you think there is a chance that they might possess some sort of Forerunner craft?” ''“It is highly possible one could have made its way through the portal like we did.” “If so, then it could have the weapons and supplies we need to refuel our weapons and armor stock!” “There is a chance yes.” “That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Shinobi said as he hastily packed his gear, “What’s the name of the planet again?” “''Umbara Sir.” '' Miles nodded as he placed his helmet on, “Prep the ship Paradox, we’re going to Umbara." Episode 6: Shadows Rising Part 2 Warrior was feeling sick. The Gunship had got caught in a dogfight and was forced to take evasive maneuvers unfortunately since the Umbaran spacecraft was more advanced, the ride had been going like this for the past ten minutes or so. “Can somebody explain to me again, WHY WE ARE BACK HERE!?” Warrior shouted over the sound of the engines. Burner rolled his eyes as he replied “If you couldn’t already tell,” He yelled sarcastically, “the Umbarans have launched a resistance and are fighting off Republic forces.” “I know why the Republic is here!” Warrior retorted, “I was wondering why we of all people needed to be here?” “The Brigade was called in by request,” Convoy said, “we’re supposed to take out some technology plant that is producing the Umbaran war machines.” Shinobi looked out onto the terrain of Umbara. It was a large area mostly covered in some eternal fog. The wildlife consisted of dense forests of some sort and lots of shrubbery. Perfect for silent movement, he thought as he strapped on his jet pack. “LZ’s too hot Paradox, looks like our friends are still in the middle of the conflict. I’m gonna have to jump this one!” “''Very well sir. I’ll drop the ship off somewhere else.” Shinobi ran and leapt from the craft. He dove for about a minute before activating his jet pack. The location of the Forerunner tech Paradox had picked up was about four clicks out. After about an hour, Shinobi arrived at the outskirts of the location. He gasped as the structure came into view. It was a massive Pickett class cruiser in almost perfect condition. Built around it was a massive spiraled tower seemingly of Umbaran make. Miles unholstered his Light Rifle and activated his camouflage. The security was relatively easy to bypass. With the exception of a guard he encountered in a tight hallway, he wasn’t forced to waste his ammo. As he approached the Forerunner ship, he had Paradox enter the system so he could gain access. “Open the door on my mark Paradox,” he said softly into his helmet, “when that door opens people are gonna notice.” “''Affirmative sir on your mark.” Shinobi crouched in the shadows as he turned off his active camo. “Three… two… o-” A massive explosion followed by weapons fire cut him off. The guard surrounding the structure ran towards the engagement. “That’s our opening Paradox, Mark!” The SPARTAN broke into a run with his weapon up firing into the guards that remained. Two went down before they even realized he was there. Miles rolled to avoid the panicked first flashes of laser fire. He came up and rammed the butt of his weapon into the first assailant killing him instantly. He then lunged through the newly opened door and slid firing back into the crowd. “Close the doors Paradox!” he yelled as he took cover behind one of the walls. The walls slowly slid together however; a blast of laser fire clipped Miles as he stood. The impact knocked him forward. His shields were down 40%, better make a note not to get hit by those things, thought as he stood again. He shouldered his light rifle and started to move down the hallway as he pulled up a map of the ship. A hissing sound was released as the door to the brig slid apart. Shinobi pulled out Paradox’s AI chip and inserted it into the port of the ship. A figure of the AI sphere appeared on the console screen as he set to work. “How long until we have full control Paradox?” he asked looking around the room. “''At least half an hour, this ship hasn’t been used in centuries.”'' “Alright,” he sighed pulling out his Boltshot, “I’m gonna do a perimeter check. Signal me when you’re done.” Paradox turned back to his work as the SPARTAN left the room. Everything seemed clear in the general area. Mess hall and armory had been emptied up to halfway but still had sufficient supplies. As he made his way to the cargo bay, he heard people conversing around the corner. He looked around quickly to see a battalion of clone troopers. They seemed unaware of his presence at the moment and he decided to use that to his advantage. Pulling out three grenades from his pack, he pulled his arm back for a quick takeout. “Xendor, cover our six, we’re gonna go deeper in to set charges.” “Sure thing Burner.” The SPARTAN hesitated as he heard the name, the brigade! He thought. He pocketed the grenades and stepped out. The entire squad aimed their weapons automatically. “Whoa! Don’t shoot hold your fire it’s me!” the soldiers seemed to hesitate for a second “And who are you exactly?” Burner asked keeping his weapon trained on the strange soldier. He seemed to be confused as if they should recognize him. “I’m Shinobi, you know the guy who saved you from the Covenant and got you home,” he said sounding very confused. “This guy’s a loon sir,” Convoy whispered into Burner’s ear, “we need to move, take him out and let’s go.” Burner sighed as he looked at the armored figure raised his weapon and shot him. Miles’ eyes widened as he saw him pull the trigger. He rolled with the shot and fell to the ground swearing violently. “What the Hell!” he yelled standing up as his shields flashed, “you shot me!” The brigade seemed surprised as he stood up again. “Yyyour not dead,” Burner said looking extremely shocked. “Yeah, I’m not, but now I’m really pissed off!” Shinobi kicked the clone who went flying back into his team. They tumbled to the ground. “Paradox!” He yelled, “Close off sector 6 immediately. Also do a search for any planted explosives in the ship.” The walls slid in around the Brigade locking them out. Miles turned around and walked back to the brig. “''The ship is ready for takeoff sir!” the AI chimed as he entered the room. “Good,” he grunted as he sat down in the captain’s chair. Put us in the air so we can go pick up my other ship.” There was chaos among the Umbarans as their holy artifact rose into the air. The surrounding structure collapsed on itself. As destruction rained over the science facility, the clone army led an assault on the other end and disarray struck the Umbarans. It wasn’t long before they fell entirely. “Does the ship still have any drop pods?” Miles grunted as he carried the Hyena brigade behind him. “''Yes there are at least half of them left.” Shinobi nodded his acknowledgements and pulled them towards the room. He had managed to string them up with rope after knocking them out. Unfortunately, he had no form of chloroform or any other sedative so he had to use less civilized means. Hefting the group over his shoulder, he lobbed them into the pod and pressed the launch button. The group shot to the surface of the planet as the ship continued above the cloudline. Episode 7: Shadows Rising Part 3 “''How does it feel?”'' Paradox asked. Miles gave his new energy sword a few test swings, “Feels better than the old one.” He activated it as the familiar black blade shot out. “''With the new hard light converter we found in the ship’s cargo bay, I have been able to create a plasma/hard light hybrid of you original energy sword allowing you to charge your weapon on the go''.” Miles gave a nod of approval as he deactivated the weapon and placed the hilt on his side. He moved over towards the door and walked out into the eerie glow of the Umbaran sunlight. He turned around and clicked the door back into place. Without the opening, his house seemed like any other tree in the forest except of course for the large camouflaged ship docked in the branches. He clicked on his bounty locator and clambered into his modified HWK-290 freighter. Master Windu was thinking. He stood at a holo-table looking at a small clip of footage. The film showed an armored warrior running towards a group of Umbarans the figure moved with the fluidity of a soldier as he took down three of the men. This man was a high profile contract killer titled the Shinobi, and this scene had been filmed weeks ago… “He is here sir,” Commander Wolf said, interrupting his thought trail. Mace nodded to the clone, “Send him in,” he said. The clone commander saluted and leaned outside the door. “Noble!” he barked, “enter the room.” As he gave the order, a clone trooper in bulky armor entered the room. Mace’s eyebrow rose slightly. “A Titan?” he asked in an inquisitive tone. Wolf was nodding even as he said it, “You asked for a soldier who could take down the most infamous assassin in the quadrant, a Titan is perfect for the job sir.” Mace nodded in agreement. He turned his attention back to the clone, “Address yourself soldier.” The clone straightened up a little “Titan-17 sir! Also known as Noble.” The Jedi nodded satisfied. “And do you know of your mission Noble?” “No sir.” Mace reactivated the film, “You have been chosen to take down one of the Republics greatest non-war threats,” he froze the screen on the clearest image of the assassin, “this man is an assassin by the name of Shinobi. He has committed crimes against the Senate such as stealing a Jedi Holocron as well as killing several senators. You are tasked with finding this man and bringing him to justice. He is incredibly deadly and you have been authorized to use any means necessary.” The clone stood over the holo-table watching the replay of the shadowy armored figure. Mace smiled as he saw him analyzing his new opponent. “Good luck son,” he said as he dismissed Noble. Miles sat silently as he watched his target move across the landing pad. His mission was a senator by the name of Amidala. She was a highly influential member that worked against the aims of his employer. He pulled his cross net hood over his helmet and moved in her direction. She made a left turn towards a Naboo cruiser. He activated his energy sword and was about to lunge when he felt a piece of metal click against the back of his helmet. “Make one move against the senator and you’ll regret it.” The voice was deep with an Australian accent. Shinobi sighed, another clone trying to be the hero. This wasn’t the first time for him. Jedi had dispatched many squads of clones to try and catch him but every time he had managed to slip away. He turned around to see his attacker. He raised an eyebrow in surprise as he saw that this clone was alone. “You seem lost soldier,” he said in a threatening tone, “where’s you squad?” The clone’s hand tightened around the hilt as he responded, “Don’t need one to take you down.” He dead serious but Shinobi couldn’t help but give a slight chuckle. “Very well then,” he said deactivating his blades, “take me to your...” before he finished his sentence, he struck out with an energy dagger slicing clean through the metal barrel and punched the clone straight in the face. He slid backwards a bit before stopping himself with one hand. His helmet slid off his head, too damaged to be used further. The face that looked up was young but filled with cool anger, “Your funeral assassin,” he spat before raising his hands, Miles’ eyes widened in surprise as he was thrown back into a wall. ''A Jedi? ''He thought as he saw the clone draw two blasters. The SPARTAN rolled to the side to dodge the initial shots. He drew his own light rifle and shot a few rounds at his assailant. The clone ducked behind a corner before returning fire. Miles took that opportunity to dash towards cover. The fight was starting to drag out and Shinobi’s target had long since left on her ship. He made an obscene gesture at the clone across the park before ducking back down to avoid being hit. He pulled out a large block from his emergency pack. He activated it releasing an incineration canon. He came up from cover and fired at the Jedi-clone’s location the soldier ducked for cover and the round passed by him harmlessly. Instead it crashed into the masses of escaping civilians. The initial explosion killed many of them and the small separate rounds just caused more carnage. Shinobi used it as a distraction to make a run for it. He threw a half-disintegrated corpse off of a hover bike and took to the air. Noble fired rounds after him, one of them grazed his shields but he was out of range before he could take further damage. :Miles brooded over the events of the previous night in the mess hall of his ship. 'The bounty on my head I getting too high,' he thought, 'pretty soon I'll have bounty hunters sniffing me out.' He stood and began to pace slowly across the rows of empty tables. After thinking over his plan, he moved swiftly towards the bridge. "Paradox," he said as he entered the large oval-shaped room, "pull up any of my contacts within the Republic government." Not minutes later, a large Twi'lek appeared on the holo-device in Shinobi's suit. "What do you want?" the man said nervously glancing around, "Haven't you already caused enough trouble?" "Calm down senator," Miles said fiddling with his knife, "I need your assistance to fix this little problem." The SPARTAN held up his hand as the senator began to protest, "Please, hear me out. I need myself off the Republic's list and I know you can do that. In exchange for this service, I will complete a tier three class bounty, free of any other charge. Now how does that sound senator?" The Twi'lek seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Dathomir...," he eventually said, "the Military leaders I am funding have a high risk mission planned in Dathomir. Something about the Nightsisters... Their forces are spread too thin at the moment but if I said that an elite trooper was available...," he formulated the plan in his mind for a few seconds before looking up at Shinobi. "You have yourself a deal assassin. Complete the mission and your record will be gone. But you MUST do it wearing standard clone commando equipment." Shinobi nodded instantly and began to rise. "Consider it done Senator. Lets just hope you can find a suit that fits me." :The initiate watched the man make his way along the path. He moved in stealth but was not concealed from her view at the time. A thin smile spread across her lips as she realized that he was a clone trooper. This would be a very successful patrol, she though as she took aim and drew her bow. As the arrow of energy left her weapon she knew it was a good shot. It sailed towards its target with a smooth accuracy but then something... happened. The clone trooper somehow moved out of the way of the round. It happened so fast that it took a second for the initiate to realize what was happening. The clone whipped around at lightning speed, drew a knife and launched it towards her. She barely managed to duck behind the tree in time. When she peeked out again he was nowhere to be seen. She glanced around frantically trying to find where the soldier had gone but froze when she heard a sound she had heard only once before... The sound of a lightsaber. Episode 8:Shadows Rising Part 4